Catastrophic Loss of Land to Wildfires
Friday, September 4 – Data from the European EFFIS satellite system has confirmed that since mid-June, around 5.4 million hectares (13.34 million acres) have been lost to wildfires within the borders of the European Union.
The total number of wildfires is over 1,000, a seasonal record for the Union. Since the beginning of the year, the total land lost so far has reached 6.47 million hectares.
The extent of the affected land is immense, but the wildfires also destroyed homes, businesses, cultivated land, forests, and wildlife. However, the greatest tragedy is the loss of lives, both those accidentally caught up in the fires as well as those brave firefighters who had risked their lives to save others.
